Diagnosis of epilepsy

“Many individuals are being treated for epilepsy who do not actually have this disorder”, so says Peter Crino, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES) are common and may account for up to 20% of people being treated for epilepsy. PNES are events of psychological origin, resembling read more

A study involving nearly 45,000 participants, has discovered 11 new genes associated with epilepsy. Researchers compared the DNA of 15,000 people with epilepsy to the DNA of 30,000 people without epilepsy in the largest study of its’ kind to implicate the 11 new genes. They also found that the majority of current anti-epileptic drugs directly target one or more of read more

According to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland there is an increased risk of stroke among people with Alzheimer’s who are being treated with antiepileptic drugs. The incidence of an epilepsy diagnosis is highest in those who are young or in those aged over 65. Part of the reason for this increase in the older population is read more

In the early 2000s paediatric neurologists and the British Paediatric Neurology Association (BPNA) realised that there were shortcomings in the standard of care in the treatment of children with epilepsy. It was clear that many children with epilepsy in the UK were treated by paediatricians with no specialised training in epilepsy. And appalling as this finding was, it was read more

Diagnosing epilepsy early is important as it means that treatment can start earlier and any associated developmental risks associated with the condition can be minimised. Research has found that more than 50 genes are associated with Early Infant Epileptic Encephalopathy (EIEE) but routine genetic tests fail in at least half the cases to pinpoint the cause of the condition. read more

Epilepsy is characterised by seizures caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Mapping the patterns of neuronal activity in the brain and understanding the dynamic between nerve cells could lead to better treatments for epilepsy. Researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, working with a team of international scientists investigated how brain proteins interact to regulate the electrical read more

Stanford University neurologists have been working to develop a ‘brain stethoscope’ which can be used by non-specialists to detect ‘silent seizures’ in which people with epilepsy do not experience any of the associated physical convulsions. The benefit of being able to detect these ‘silent seizures’ in real time means that treatments and or/therapies may be administered straight away so avoiding read more

Scientists at UCL have developed a lightweight brain scanner which can be worn as a helmet to help identify the source of epileptic seizures prior to possible surgery. This is especially useful for young children as the equipment is flexible and close to the head, giving high resolution images. Brain scanners are vital for those whose epilepsy has not responded read more

The aim of much epilepsy research is to better manage the condition with more personalised and effective medical treatments. A massive international study combining information from a total of 24 research centres has resulted in the largest neuroimaging analysis of epilepsy ever conducted. This global MRI scanning data has shown several interesting and unexpected findings. Namely that even with different read more

“Post-injury epilepsy (PIE) is a devastating, unpreventable consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke, which develops in 10 to 40 percent of survivors months, or even years later,” says Ben-Gurion University (BGU) Professor Alon Friedman, a researcher in the Brain Imaging Research Centre and the Zlotowski Centre for Neuroscience. It has been a wish of many researchers and clinicians read more

According to new research, the diagnosis of seizures can be made easier with the input of people who accompanying patients to doctor’s appointments. The study, conducted by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa, in collaboration with Loughborough University and the University of Sheffield, aimed to evaluate the contributions that companions and witnesses to seizures can make to the diagnostic process. read more

A promising new study has identified a biomarker that in the future could help in the diagnosis of epilepsy. The research, conducted by Sichuan University in China, examined the possible benefits of using measurements of metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) levels in the blood as an epilepsy diagnostic tool. MMP-2 is a type of enzyme that plays a role in embryonic development, reproduction and tissue remodelling. read more

Epilepsy Research UK supports and promotes basic and clinical scientific research into the causes, treatments and prevention of epilepsy; and is the only national charity in the UK that funds independent research exclusively into this condition.

Epilepsy Research UK is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities